Contact: Jill Byrd, (210) 450-5550

The three new medical oncologists and clinical researchers at the CTRC are (left to right) Isam Abdel-Karim, M.D., Andrew Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., and Yubao Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
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SAN ANTONIO (July 15, 2008) — Three medical oncologists have joined the medical staff of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Isam Abdel-Karim, M.D., Andrew Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., and Yubao Wang, M.D., Ph.D., are medical oncologists and clinical investigators at CTRC as well as assistant professors within the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology in the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center.

Dr. Abdel-Karim
Specializing in geriatric oncology and hematological malignancies, Dr. Abdel-Karim earned his B.S. and M.B. degrees from the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Case Western Reserve University program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and St. Luke’s Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He recently completed fellowships in geriatric, hospice and palliative medicine, as well as hematology and oncology, all at the Health Science Center. Dr. Abdel-Karim is a member of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Society of Hematology, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Brenner
A specialist in breast cancer and malignancies of the brain and spinal cord, Dr. Brenner focuses on novel therapies in the treatment of central nervous system tumors. A graduate of Texas A&M University, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and went on to earn his doctorate in biological science and tumor biology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - Science Park. Dr. Brenner received his medical degree from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and completed a residency in internal medicine at Scott and White Hospital in Lubbock. He recently completed his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the Health Science Center.

Dr. Wang
A specialist in gastrointestinal oncology, Dr. Wang earned his bachelor of medicine at Anhui Medical College in China and his master of medicine at Beijing Medical University in China. He completed his doctorate in biochemistry at Loma Linda University in California and served his residency at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. Dr. Wang completed his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the Health Science Center.

“The CTRC is delighted to welcome these distinguished preclinical scientists and physician-researchers who will help expand our rapidly growing areas of treatment focused around disease-specific, multidisciplinary cancer clinics,’’ said Francis Giles, M.D., deputy director of the CTRC and chief of the Health Science Center Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology.

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The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the nation’s leading academic research and treatment centers, serving more than 4.4 million people in the high-growth corridor of Central and South Texas including Austin, San Antonio, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. CTRC is one of a few elite cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center, and is one of only three in Texas. CTRC handles more than 120,000 patient visits each year and is a world leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer. The CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) is internationally recognized for conducting the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug trials program in the world, and participated in the clinical and/or preclinical development of many of the cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.uthscsa.edu.